


Let Me Down Slow

by bxrbiedoll



Series: Its my OC's world and we're all just living in it [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: All Chapters Will Have Proper TW's, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Ryouto Brainrot, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, Canon Bisexual Character, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Claustrophobia, Comfort/Angst, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Language, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Gay Panic, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Internalized Homophobia, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Major Tw's Ahead, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Universe, Panic Attacks, Platonic Soulmates, Red String of Fate, Romantic Soulmates, Song Lyrics, Soulmates, Suicide Attempt, Trauma, gay realizations, slow burn(?)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:21:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29158086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bxrbiedoll/pseuds/bxrbiedoll
Summary: He threw his head to the sky, a cry erupting from his throat as he begged, pleaded, demanded for answers to come to him. The darkness overhead gave him no such answer, the stars merely twinkling as the clouds shifted enough to pull the moon into view, the half crescent staring down at him almost mockingly. He screamed and cried out until he couldn’t anymore, his throat so dry and strained that it refused to produce another sound. In the wake of his own agony, a fist was slammed down against the sand below, a jolt of pain causing him to reer back as soon as a stone pierced the skin on his hand.It was then, when his lips parted to let out one more cry, that a gust of wind silenced him. There was enough power in it to throw his head back up to the sky, his eyes widened in shock as the stars of Orion's belt shifted to form with the moon to create a smile, twinkling stars and off-white teeth staring down at him from the heavens above.Only then did he realize that the Moon goddess had blessed him with another chance, the red string on his finger that was once severed trailing off once more into the apparent darkness. He swore to himself then that this one, he’d never let go, no matter what came his way.
Relationships: Alana Seeyting / Reiko Hinamizawa, Ryouto Hinamizawa / Satoru Yukimura, Stephanie Seeyting / Tsuro Hinamizawa
Series: Its my OC's world and we're all just living in it [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2145720
Kudos: 3





	1. Loverboy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello~ This fic is a gift for two very dear friends, and both of their characters are included in this, so all credits to some of these beautiful babies go to them! Other than that, the rest are mine, who I've recently fallen back in love with writing and developing. This story is pretty heavy, but I promise it has a happy ending. It'll be a roller coaster of emotions, so I hope everyone sticks along for the ride lol
> 
> Also, there is a spotify playlist in the end notes, check it out while you read <3

It was the dead of winter, fresh snowfall delicately sprinkled in tufts and piles along sidewalks and driveways indicating the new season and the loss of the usual greenery. The sky had a dull hue to it, the once bright blue now resembling more of a soft grey, dotted with clouds that released more droplets of snow onto the ground below, each snowflake delicately crafted with such precision and care as to be unique from one another. The wind carried a haunting chill that seemed to cut through layers of fabric and skin and settle right into bone, gusts of it sending snowflakes flying through the air to get stuck on eyelashes and nose tips. The outdoors was truly a winter wonderland, and for a squealing young boy, it seemed he was determined to brave the cold to go join the snowflakes in their dance. 

His eyes were wide and bright, twinkling like the stars of the heavens, as he ran through the hallway, too fast for his own good as he nearly slipped and fell as he turned corners to get to his front door. He’d already put on his own winter gear, a large coat lined with faux fur zipped up around his small frame, his scarf and beanie placed just in a way so that most of his face would be obscured from the cold. He was quick to kick off his house slippers as soon as he neared the door to replace them with snow boots, squealing as he planted one foot at a time against the floor before he began to jump in place, hoping to release some excess energy as he waited for his grandmother to near the door. 

Every now and again, he’d peer around the corner, hopeful to see his grandmother emerge from the slightly darkened hallway, sticking his bottom lip out in a pout when she wasn’t there. He’d only once tried to call out to her, yelling out an overly-enthusiastic “Nana” into the dark, only to be answered with her telling him she would be coming in just a moment. It’d been too many moments, though, for the young boy, who darted into the house despite still having his boots on. He was sure to get scolded for such an act, but he was careless, wanting nothing more than to be outside. 

Walks with his grandmother were standard practice, a ritual of sorts, even as she grew more frail with age. There was a time where she could keep up with him, bouncing and running around with the widest grin on his face, pointing out various things that caught his eye far louder than he realized he was being. Though, at this age, reliant upon a cane for stability, she wasn’t as nimble as she used to be, finding herself trailing more behind the boy than usual, often needing breaks to even out her breathing as she became short of breath easier than ever before. As long as his walks were with her, though, complaints never slipped from the boy’s lips. 

He loved his Nana far too much to complain. 

With his third peak around the corner, his eyes lit up with excitement when he saw both of his grandparents draw near, his smile widening as he watched the scene in front of him. His grandfather, the gentleman he’d always been since youth, helped his grandmother with her coat and gloves first, then her scarf and finally a pair of earmuffs, trying to ensure his wife would be able to withstand the cold. Once he was satisfied with how he’d bundled up the beauty before him, he leaned in for a kiss, simple and chaste as to not force the over-excited boy to wait any longer. 

As soon as the older couple pulled apart, the boy had squeezed himself in the empty space between them to grab onto his grandmother’s gloved hand, pulling her gently towards the door. He wasn’t as forceful as he would’ve been, but he’d long learned from his mistakes, not wanting to send his grandmother to the floor. “Come on, Nana~!” He let out a small cheer, using his free hand to throw the door open with a sense of determination that faded almost as quickly as the icy chill hit his exposed nose. 

He flinched, using his free hand to move the scarf further up his face while his grandmother locked the front door, nose scrunching up slightly at the slight scratchiness of the fabric. 

They began to walk, quietly at first, hand in hand with the young Ryouto in a slight lead. He swung their arms just slightly as he looked around, taking in the wonderland before him. The snowflakes that fell from the sky, the icicles hanging from porches and overhangs, and even the pair of snowmen the neighbor’s kids had made all put a smile on his face. He adored the winter so much, and getting to spend time with his favorite person during his favorite season made his heart swell up with enough warmth to keep him going. Though, he did have something on his mind, and the silence between them was broken after only a few blocks. 

“Nana?” Her grandson’s voice got the woman’s attention, who looked over to survey his face, immediately noting the lines and creases that had formed between his eyebrows. “Can I ask you something?” Even if he’d just done the very thing he was asking permission for, the young boy still hoped to receive some sort of go-ahead to air out exactly what had him so deep in thought. When he got a small nod in response, he couldn’t help but smile before he decided to finally inquire about what was bugging him. 

It started out with him holding out his right hand, the tips of his fingers and knuckles flushed red and nipped by the cold as he’d forgotten his gloves at home. Soon enough, he extended out his pinkie finger, hopeful that she too could see what had him so bothered. Wrapped just under his first knuckle was a thin, red string, the delicate knot keeping it in place, and he gestured to it with his head as to not remove his hand from the older woman’s grasp. “What is this?” His question was so innocent, eyes wide and hopeful that an answer would be given. 

After all, grown-ups always had answers for everything. Or, so he believed. 

His grandmother looked at him with shock, her gaze darting between the extended finger and the boy’s eyes, her mouth slightly agape as realization set in. He had it too, the gift that had skipped the boy’s own mother had found itself within her son, and soon her shocked expression was replaced with a warm smile.

“So you can see it, Ryo?” She asked curiously, the boy nodding his head with too much fervor in response, winning a small chuckle from his grandmother. Part of her wanted to skip the explanation until he was older for him to be able to understand better, but with the way those eyes that resembled the deepest blues of a far off ocean stared up at her with such hope and anticipation, there was no way she could deny his silent pleas for answers. That would be too cruel, and even if he didn’t understand it now, she could only hope it would make sense with time. 

Silent, she led him over to a nearby bench on the edge of the sidewalk that faced away from the street, patting the seat beside her gently for the boy to join her. “That string is something very special, and you being able to see it is a gift. You are blessed, my dear, by the heavens above with a deeper knowledge than most people.” It was clear what she said had made no sense to the young boy by the way his face scrunched up, but by the look in his eyes, he was determined to understand, so she continued her explanation.

“This is the string of fate. It connects your soul,” she paused to point to his chest, her index finger hovering just over the spot where the boy’s rapidly beating heart was. “To your perfect match.” That got the boy to gasp, the stars in his eyes aligning as his hands went to try and hide the smile that’d formed on his face at the idea of someone being out there that would love him in the same way his grandparents loved each other. 

“The soulmate connection runs deep, and you’ll feel like you’ve known them your entire lifetime, and all of the ones in the past as well.” He was listening intently, taking in every word even though he was completely lost the more she spoke. “Once you find them, you mustn't let them go, no matter what. Losing a soulmate is a pain unlike no other. It shatters the soul, and is a worse pain than death itself, and I can’t have that happen to my grandbaby.” Her voice softened at the end, a hand moving to cup his cheek, thumb swiping over the soft skin right under his eye.

“Hold them close, Ryo. Use your gift, and find them. They’re out there, waiting for you. Promise me, you’ll find them.” The boy at first remained in complete shock, with widened eyes, parted lips, and breath hitched in his throat, trying to soak in all he’d been told. It seemed most of it had gone completely over the boy’s head, but the little that did stick was enough to make him squeal out in glee, holding out his pinkie to prove just how much he meant the acceptance of such a promise. 

“I’m gonna find ‘em, and when I do, I’m never ever ever letting go!” He sounded so determined, his free hand clenching into a small fist as he firmly nodded his head. “They better get ready, cause I’ll never leave~! No matter what.” He giggled out, sure that he was going to annoy whoever was at the other end of his string. He went to give it a small tug when his hand was swatted away by his Nana, a stern look on her face that quickly stopped him from following through with such an act, his hand dropping to his side as he looked at her in surprise. 

“The first tug is an important one, my boy. You tug when you’ve found them, to show them that you know. Save it for that moment.” He was quick to nod his head in understanding, trying to push away the lingering temptations to play with the string. He wasn’t sure why it meant so much, but if it was as serious as she claimed, he wasn’t going to until the right time. He knew better than to disobey her commands, anyways, so he let his hand remain at his side, though his gaze continued to linger on that string. 

“Nana?” He sounded more apprehensive this time, refusing to lift his gaze from the string around his finger, as if he was fearful that it would unknot itself and fade away into nothingness if he didn’t keep it in his sight. She let out a small hum to signal that she was listening, her hands resting gently in her lap, no longer lingering on her grandson.

“What if they let me go?”

A strong shake of his shoulders caused him to jolt, his train of thought derailing as he was pulled out of his daydream and thrown back out into reality. He’d been staring up at the ceiling absentmindedly, hands resting behind his head to act as a pillow, no longer listening to the story his close friend had been telling him about her online shenanigans. 

“Ryo! Listen to me, bitch boy!” She pouted, grabbing one of the many pillows off of his bed and hitting him with it, playfully pouting as she realized the entire story that she’d told had gone in one ear and out the other by the dazed expression on his face. His eyes, once bright and full of life, appeared far more dull than usual, and the dark circles under them had only intensified as of late, indicating his restlessness at everything plaguing his mind. 

“You’ve been so spaced out recently that you missed the best story ever! What’s been up with you?” Alana asked with pursed lips, hoping to get an answer out of him, fully prepared to beat him over the hand with the pillow in hand until he caved and finally opened up. He was normally good about communicating when he was stressed or if something was terribly wrong, but this time was different, and she could tell from the state his apartment was in. 

With both siblings out on business trips, the college-aged boy was left to his own devices, and thus the place had fallen into disarray that didn’t reflect his normally tidy bedroom. The living room was covered in used paper plates, take-out containers and half-finished cans and bottles, and the dishes in the sink were beginning to pile high, untouched as if the boy had completely forgotten their existence. Even his own bedroom was beginning to get out of control, even though most of the clutter had been shoved into a corner when Alana had shown up that morning to bother her friend and keep him company. 

“Mm?” He let out a hum that sounded more of an empty question, sitting up a bit on his elbows to get a better look at the crest-fallen look on her face. “I’m fine, Lana, really. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lie. It was all he could do. Bluff, and lie, and push the internalized struggle to the far back recesses of his mind, sitting up properly now to try and be more present in the conversation.

“Just tired, I guess. I’m fine, really, don’t worry about it.” A hand went up to clasp the slightly clammy skin at the base of his neck, rubbing against his nape, a nervous habit he’d picked up over the years. It was a tell-tale sign that he was uncomfortable with the situation or that he’d lied, and it was clear in this instance to Alana that both were occurring. Especially by the slight gruffness in his voice, the subtle cracks being enough to get him to clear his throat. He definitely needed some water. 

“Ryouto,” she stared, having to pause to try and collect herself so as to not snap at the clearly disgruntled man infront of her. “You know you can’t lie to me. Spill it out, what is it? Did ya with your boyfriend?” She wasn’t even meaning to make such a joke, it just slipped out, being the most likely answer. By the way his face contorted, though, and immediately grew red with embarrassment, she had to hide the small smile that’d formed on her face with her hand, thankful that the hoodie she’d stolen from Ryouto was far too big as the fabric helped obscure more of her expression. 

“You know Sato and I aren’t dating, you ass!” He huffed, grabbing a pillow and launching it gently at her head. “And no, we’re not fighting. I’m just thinking about my Nana, that’s all.” Ryouto was seriously hoping that this was going to be what would shake her off his case, since the subject matter surrounding his family was always a sensitive subject, but to his own dismay, she kept pushing.

“Your Nana? You don’t mean to tell me you’re thinking about that again?” With a finger gesturing to his pinkie, she seemed to have hit the jackpot by the way the tension immediately dissipated in her friend, who seemed to finally cave to give answers. “Bingo…” He muttered under his breath, almost sarcastically so, before glaring down at the string in question.

“Still not connected to anyone?” She asked with a tilt of her head, and got the silent answer from the look in the other’s murky blue eyes, long dulled as if heavens and stars that once gleamed so brightly in his eyes had been obscured with dark clouds. He let out a dejected sigh, snatching the pillow that’d been used earlier to bury his face in. “Of course not.” He groaned out, voice heavily muffled by fabric and fluff. 

Alana let out a hum in understanding, shifting a bit in the bed to rest her chin on his shoulder. He tensed a bit at the sudden contact, but the moment that small circles started to be drawn with intricacy along his spine, he loosened up just as fast. “I don’t get it.” He muttered, still not removing his face from the pillow. “I don’t fucking get it.” He repeated himself, this time much louder and actually understandable, as the prior had been nearly incoherent. 

“Nana said I had someone out there, but I’ve searched my whole damn life! I don’t think this thing is meant to connect to anyone.” He was still talking, just letting some of his frustrations out to fill the silence that’d befallen the room. Silence was always something he found himself struggling with, even the most comfortable ones, always feeling the need to fill in the gaps and keep things alive. 

“It will. Just give it time, Ryo. You’re so impatient.” Sure, being chastised wasn’t exactly what he needed at the moment, but it was the truth. He knew he was being ridiculous and impulsive with his newfound hatred for anything having to do with the red string. He’d begun despising love, despising the idea of soulmates, cringing when he’d witnessed his brother and even his own sister find their perfect matches. The only thing keeping him from not falling completely into the sea of envy that he found himself at the shores of was the fact that his two best friends still had no connection, the sole proof that he wasn’t the only miserable moron without one. The only difference?

He could see them. They couldn’t.

He got to see that red string, mockingly disappearing into a nothingness with no end in sight. He got to see as it connected passerbys while he walked down the busy Tokyo streets, connecting classmates and teammates when he played soccer in his youth, and even connecting the very people he found himself boxing with to another person in the stands. He had to watch it all as a mere passenger in fate’s cruel journey, and as time passed, what once was claimed to be a blessing turned into a curse. 

“You know it’s going to connect, you’ve just gotta wait on it, dumbass. For once, you can’t just be impulsive and take control.” She was still rubbing circles into his back, the occasional tap of her knuckle against some of the well-defined muscles and barely exposed vertebrae done in attempts to keep him grounded. “If what you say is true, Satoru and I haven’t found anyone either, and we’re vibing. Just go with the flow, Ryo. It’s bound to come to you one way or another.”

“I think that’s the most intelligent thing you’ve ever said.” Ryouto muttered into the pillow, just loud enough for her to hear, and just loud enough for him to get a smack to the back of his head that elicited an annoyed whine. “Hey! I was teasing, jackass!” He huffed, a hand going up to rub the back of his head, finally removing his face from the pillow, cheeks and nose tip tinged the same pink that the tips of his ears were. 

“You’re a dick, Ryouto.” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest with a feigned huff before she fell into a fit of laughter. It wasn’t long before he joined her, finally caving in and giving up on the thoughts that still beckoned him back in with the ghost of the last statement, the one that still haunted him no matter how many times he’d pushed it out. 

“What if they let go?”

“Come on, let’s get the hell outta here and go do something.” Alana was the first to get off the bed, stretching a bit as soon as her feet touched the floor. “Maybe it’ll cheer you up enough to actually get some shit done around here. It’s weird seeing you messy.” With two twists of her spine, both giving satisfying cracks as the tension in them from slouching had released, and a pop of her right elbow, she was ready to drag him out of bed if he didn’t get up himself. 

“Hey! Fuck off.” He threw the pillow in his arms at her, purposefully missing before getting up himself, playfully giving her a light punch to the arm. “Where are we goin’? If I have to drive for this shit, you’re buying drinks and snacks. I’ve gotta get gas.” He huffed, ruffling a hand through his hair as soon as he saw his reflection in the large mirror in the corner, trying to smooth down the tousled hair that’d fallen into disarray with just how much they’d hit each other with pillows now discarded on his bedroom floor. 

“Fine. But you better not grab like twenty bags of twizzler nibs this time! That shit was expensive.” She was clearly teasing with the feigned whine in her voice, stifling a laugh when she got a glare from Ryouto in response. “One, you’re rich. Two, it was three packs, and it was because you know I can’t find those anywhere but that sketchy ass gas station.” He tried to defend himself, but by the laugh he got, it was clear it hadn’t worked out well in his favor.

“Where are we going, anyways?” He asked as soon as the two had left his bedroom, gripping onto the handrail as they descended the staircase. It was definitely necessary to get out of the house, as he was sure that if he continued to overthink, his claustrophobia would get the best of him and he’d completely spiral. She put a finger to her lips as she let out a hum, trying to figure out exactly where to have them go.

“Grab your keys. Let’s go see Satoru, I’m sure that’ll cheer you right up~” She teased with a grin, shutting the other up almost immediately, and they left the apartment in a comfortable silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope yall enjoyed the first chapter! I put a lot of effort into it, and am pretty proud of the outcome. Gonna try and upload at least twice a week, have to ride this motivation train somehow. 
> 
> Socials if you'd like to interact-  
> Twt: @dollietingz  
> Insta: @softer.thana.daisy
> 
> Spotify Playlists-  
> Main: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6gymjrIaFjDrWTdfAs1FZh?si=3oZIOy7MTSGXGmuuJnAWbw  
> Ryouto’s: https://open.spotify.com/track/1syWM2X9Joy2MdRznIaTil?si=f7uIk9xVTZu4zVoFcP6laA


	2. Stuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally~ Chapter 2 is a fun one. There isn't much to say for it except for that I truly believe in Satoru Yukimura supremacy, and that I rly hope I did that sweet boy justice.

All was quiet in the dimly lit apartment save for the occasional click of fingers against a keyboard or of the quick moving mouse against the pad underneath, the sole light source being emitted from the powered on display screen of a pc. The white light was jarringly bright against the surrounding darkness, leading the only sign of life in the room to squint slightly, though he was far too focused to get up to draw the curtains or turn on the floor lamp in the corner. His brows were knitted together, jaw clenched slightly in a pointed focus at the game before him. 

Slicing the silence was a string of curses uttered between the palms of his hands that had moved up to rest on his face, his piercing glare peeking out between his spread fingers to try and analyze the current layout of the game before him. He was fully aware that he shouldn’t be struggling as hard as he was, especially not with something he was supposed to be the best at, frustrations brimming as he gritted his teeth together.

He never took chess this seriously, but then again, he normally had an advantage far above the standard player. His abilities to read his opponent were so keen that they were arguably dangerous, his manipulative mind games leading to a seamless victory as his opponent fell right into his outstretched grasp. He was known as the King for a reason, and there was no way in hell that he was going to allow anything to ruin that title, especially not an artificially generated opponent. 

With a long, drawn-out sigh, he let his hands fall back into place, one rested on the table so his thumb was hovering above the space bar, the other gripping his mouse. He knew he needed to calm down and regain a level head in order to win this, not wanting to fall into over-eager impulses that would lead to poor decision making. His breathing slowed as his eyes fluttered shut, trying to envision the best route to take to have his victim fall into checkmate. 

Biting the inside of his cheek, he let his eyes open and the mouse hover over each piece as if he was feeling out if the move was right, trying to make a calculated decision on the matter. The move had to be correct, precise, perfect even, as one simple mistake could easily disrupt the entire game for him. This was certainly proving to be more taxing than intended, his shoulders raised just enough with the present tension for them to begin to feel uncomfortable. 

There was another downside to virtual chess, and that was the inability to physically feel out each piece. The intricacies present in each paint stroke, each groove and raise, each slash of blade against marble all meant something, and as he felt out each piece with the ghost of his fingertips, they told him something, giving him options and moves as if someone had whispered such a thing in his ear. Without that, he could only rely on himself and his own wit and intellect, but he knew better than to downplay his own capabilities. 

He removed his hands once more to crack his knuckles, fingers threading together as he pushed them forward, sighing at the release. There were a few options he was surveying, and with each movement of his thumb pressing down on each knuckle that hadn’t popped previously, he was going over them in his head, each move’s consequences playing in his mind like cinema film. 

As if a lightbulb had gone off in his head, his hands flew back into their previous positions, a small smirk forming on his once intimidatingly stoic face as he finally saw the best move to take. A pawn on the right-hand side of his board was selected to move, and without a second guess, was moved diagonally to capture the opponent’s unsuspecting pawn.

En passant. It was the perfect move for the circumstances, especially with the pawn that he had gotten rid of. It was the opponent’s center-right pawn, and with it out of the way, he had a clearer shot of what had been right behind its barricade: the King and its Queen. 

He felt a bit more reassured at the move, envisioning the flash of pure panic that would normally appear on the opposing side’s face, normally used as an intimidation tactic to begin the power dynamic he was known for, almost infamously so. It was a shame that he lacked such a glorifying sensation, longing for the sensation of the tingling of his skin as a bead of sweat would trail down the other’s face, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him.

There was no way Satoru Yukimura would allow himself to lose. 

It seemed as if this opponent’s AI wasn’t as keen as he was, simply moving forth a pawn a single space without going for anything that a standard opponent would. Most would bring forth a more vital important piece on the board like a knight or bishop to attempt to combat his moves, but the single movement of the pawn caused his brow to twitch in irritation, though he truly wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or infuriated by such a move. 

“Moron.” He muttered under his breath, easily capturing that pawn with the same one he’d done a prior en passant with, taking his hand off the mouse to grab his cup from its coaster. He frowned slightly when the cup brought to his lips was completely empty, though he was too concentrated to get up and refill it. Setting it back down with an annoyed huff, he watched his opponent only move forth another pawn, nearly chuckling at such a foolish mistake. 

It wasn’t in the position for a third snag by his pawn, but it was in a relatively good spot for Satoru, one he couldn’t complain too much about. If he moved his knight out, he could take it. If he moved his pawn forward once, he could take it the following round. Even his rook was in place to take it if he so pleased to move the piece, and he fully realized the power that he currently had as more options became realized and thus readily available to be utilized. 

Take the pawn, take the other one protecting the king, and go in for the kill. That sounded like a solid plan, and even if it fell through, he still had every single piece on his end of the board remaining on the board. There was almost no way he could lose at this point, not with the other’s pieces being taken one by one.

His mouse hesitated slightly over the knight piece, tongue slightly stuck out of the corner of his mouth in deep focus and concentration. He could feel himself loosening up as he got into the groove of things, becoming more comfortable and more relaxed as the game went on. His shoulders had visibly fallen, his breathing steadied and some of the lines once evident in his face were gone, especially now that the piece in question had been moved onto the board. 

The knight was always a piece he enjoyed using, and with it now in play, he had an excellent defense set up. If his opponent dared to move a piece within its range, he could easily seize it for his own, smirking when the exact opportunity was available. He took it with pride, seizing the rook for his own, eyes leaving the screen momentarily from the knight piece in question to his hand resting on the mouse, and more specifically, his pinkie finger. 

Without a second thought, he returned his gaze to the screen, and moved a pawn of his out two spaces to back up his knight. 

The game was running smoothly from that point on, much to Satoru’s relief. He wasn’t even sure why he’d taken it so seriously in the first place, especially since there was no real consequence for either winning or losing, but that didn’t stop the grin that found its way onto his face as soon as the opponent’s second rook was secured. Victory was in sight, he could feel the excitement creep on, provoking the formation of goosebumps on the exposed skin peeking out from his sweatshirt. 

When his first knight was seized by a bishop, his tongue clicked against the back of his teeth in annoyance. It was frustrating to see such a vital piece for victory be taken off the board, and he was quick to replace it with the other knight, smiling slightly as the piece moved into place, right in front of the row of pawns. 

The knight was finally in its proper place, doing exactly as designed: protecting its king. 

He nearly moved a pawn forward after his opponent’s move, though he found himself relieved when he held back, able to fully utilize the power of his knight to seize not one, but two pawns on the board. His eyes lit up with excitement, twinkling a little in the white light of the computer screen, pride surging as he was one move away from a guaranteed checkmate. That was, unless the opponent’s king moved from its standard position. 

When the king wasn’t moved, he found himself more excited than he should be to move his rook into place, grinning when he realized the opponent was out of moves to take to free themselves from checkmate due to the placement of surrounding pieces. With most of their pieces seized and so many of Satoru’s still standing, there was so little left to do, and there was no option or move that couldn’t be combatted.

He’d won.

He hadn’t even realized that he’d been holding his breath until the flash of gold on the screen and the cheer emitted from his speakers, the words ‘Victory’ provoking a sigh of relief. It wasn’t long before he’d pushed the chair that was arguably far too close to the desk away to abandon his set-up, cup in hand as he relished over his victory in the welcoming silence of the rest of the apartment. 

There wasn’t much to the apartment in its current state, lacking the usual glow and noise as there was no one there to disrupt the calming atmosphere. There were no parents or siblings to chastise or annoy him, nor were there any friends lounged on his couch loudly screaming at the flat screen before them over something ridiculous in a video game. It was just him and the silence, and he was thankful for that. 

The lights flickered on in the kitchen as soon as he entered the room, bringing a warm glow into the otherwise dark apartment. It was neat and tidy as always, meticulously organized so everything had a set place so he never had to overthink when he came into his kitchen. Mindlessly, he stooped over to open up a lower cupboard, moving the rice cooker to the side to grab out the electric kettle he stashed away. 

Once the kettle was filled with tap water from the sink and plugged in via an outlet by his stovetop, his hands wandered down to the pockets of his pants, patting slightly until he felt his phone. He pulled it out, looking over the small batch of notifications present on the lockscreen. A twitch stream notification, a response back from a friend in 8-ball, and a few notifications from the ever-popular group chat he swore he had muted earlier in the week with his two close friends. All of them went unanswered, the phone discarded on the countertop before crossing his kitchen to lean against the countertops.

With his back turned to the small window in his kitchen, he let his mind wander, waiting for the familiar hiss of the kettle to pull him back out. He had a lot on his plate that weighed heavy on his shoulders, but there was something distant that tugged at him, trying to gain his focus no matter how many times he pushed it away. 

It was any time he let his mind wander like this that the idea came to him, so he found himself trying more and more to occupy his time as to keep his mind centered and grounded. He’d taken his homework more seriously than before, crammed his face deeper into his textbooks, and even spent more time gaming than usual. Anything to escape what had been nagging him, shaking his head as soon as the thought once more attempted to cross his mind.

He’d found his line of sight dwelling on the same point it had every time these thoughts crept on as well, focusing on his pinkie far more than he had prior. There was something drawing him to it, likely as realizations he was far too wary of to unpack had recently begun to plague his mind. Though, he had little time to understand exactly why he was staring, as his ringtone went off, visibly startling him.

He cursed a few times before picking the phone up, nearly muting it to ignore the call until he saw exactly who it was from. As much as he was enjoying his silence, he sadly had a soft spot for the moron in the contact photo, his smile bright as his arm was slung around Satoru’s shoulder, an arcade prize held in the other. That, and he hoped this would give him some sort of distraction from everything going on within his own head. 

His thumb hovered over the accept button for a moment before pressing it, angling the camera up just slightly so it really only showed the top part of his head, mostly just showing off the ceiling of his kitchen. “What’s-” He was cut off by a loud pair of voices almost as soon as the call went through, eyes widening slightly at what was on the other end. 

Alana was standing in the middle of what appeared to be a gas station or convenience store with a grin on her face, with a very annoyed Ryouto standing behind her, eyes narrowed as she’d clearly stolen his phone for such a call. “Oh, sweet! I knew he’d pick up if I used yours.” Alana’s statement got Ryouto to let out a small groan, turning around to open up a door to grab out his drink of choice to likely hide his embarrassed expression.

Such an exchange caused Satoru to raise an eyebrow, though he had little time to question it before he was being bombarded. “Yo, Satoru, we’re coming to chill. Do you want anything?” Alana asked curiously, and he found himself thankful that the camera was angled in such a way as to hide the slight downturn of his lips. The silence he was granted felt like a reward for his efforts, so to have it disrupted wasn’t ideal, even if it was likely for the best.

They made for a good distraction, anyways. 

He hummed a little in thought, setting his phone back down on the counter the moment his kettle beeped. “The usual.” He decided that venturing out today wasn’t ideal, especially not when he could definitely rely upon a nice bag of watermelon Sour Patch Kids as a source of comfort. It was then when Ryouto finally popped his head back into frame just to give a little nod and a thumbs up before leaving again, likely to go grab exactly what that ‘usual’ was. He’d gone with him enough to know. 

Even though the other wasn’t there to hear it, there was a small “Thank you,” uttered, slightly smaller than intended as he tried to fight the heat that’d come to his cheeks. 

“Hope you’re ready for some Minecraft, dumbass here needs a pick-me-up.” Alana’s sentence got a disgruntled noise of protest from Ryouto, who shoved her slightly at the mention of his state when he came back with a Sprite in hand. “Mm? Everything okay, Ryo?” Satoru found himself asking before he even realized what he was saying, peering over at his phone so they could see the raise of his brow, hands occupied with steeping his tea bag. 

“I’m fine, she’s just being dramatic.” Hearing things get shoved off wasn’t surprising to anyone in the trio, though having it come from Ryouto was slightly more uncommon. “Satoru, believe me!” His name was drawn out a bit by Alana, who popped her face back in frame from the drink cooler, her own Dr. Pepper in hand. “You should see his place. It’s weird to see it in such a state.”

“Shut it, Alana.” Ryouto sent her a small glare that made her laugh, and if his hands weren’t full with both his phone that Alana had finally handed over and five different bags of candy, then he would’ve likely punched her shoulder softly enough to get his point across. “Anyways, sorry we’re coming over without asking. Hope you don’t mind too much.” At least Ryouto was aware of how much Satoru enjoyed the time he got to himself. 

“It’s.. fine, I’ll live with it.” There was a small shrug given, even though he was fully aware that the other couldn’t see it, the camera’s view still being on his ceiling until his mug was placed down, the tea bag slowly settling in place. “Seriously, though, are you sure you’re okay?” Though concern wasn’t evident in his voice, it was clear the intention was there, especially in the slight furrow of his brows. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking again, really.” 

It wasn’t much longer after that when their small FaceTime call had ended, the silence returning like a warmed blanket around his shoulders. There was a brief moment where he simply relished in it, eyes closed and head slightly tilted back as his weight was supported by the countertop behind him. This wouldn’t last forever, especially not now, so basking in it before his overactive brain got the best of him was a pleasure he’d gladly partake in.

He was truly shocked, though, to hear they both shared a similar problem. Though, instead of feeling relief in not being alone in being plagued by invasive thoughts, he found himself teeming with curiosity as to what exactly could be bothering Ryouto. It wasn’t like much got to him, or at least not from what he’d learned from months of observation.

He had no clue if what was bothering both of them so greatly was even remotely similar, and the mere idea of it being so caused his eyes to widen slightly, his heart nearly skipping a beat. A hand went up to cover his mouth, breath slightly hitched.

If it was the same, he had no clue what he would do with himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (: Some casual, spicy foreshadowing and an exciting build to the next chapter~ 
> 
> Socials-  
> Twt: @dollietingz  
> Insta: @softer.thana.daisy
> 
> Spotify Playlists-  
> Main: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6gymjrIaFjDrWTdfAs1FZh?si=3oZIOy7MTSGXGmuuJnAWbw  
> Ryouto’s: https://open.spotify.com/track/1syWM2X9Joy2MdRznIaTil?si=f7uIk9xVTZu4zVoFcP6laA


	3. Young and Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, our boys meet up and have some good, wholesome fun (: I miss playing Mario Party with friends as a kid, and obv had to include the best game in this. Hope yall enjoy this chapter, sorry its a little late!!

What felt like ritual at this point, the black jeep rolled out of its spot to hit the road, windows down and top off to reveal a duo of friends. The stereo was on full blast, connected to a phone via the aux cord to play from their joint playlist, filled with songs that the two of them played so often that they knew by heart, lyrics flowing from their mouths like instinct as the first song started up. 

It was something the two had genuinely put too much effort into, each song placed so perfectly that it seemingly flowed into the next. There were no harsh juxtapositions of different moods or genres to take them by surprise, just a good mix of songs that the two adored. The playlist was so perfectly constructed that, even if they put it on shuffle, nothing ever caught them by surprise, though today it was played in its standard order. 

The first song played was by Queen, one that got the two to flash each other sly smirks and grins. It was one of their favorite songs to come on during a shuffle, and to start out with it out the gate was always a wonderful touch. But today, there was something more behind Alana’s expression, a teasing glint Ryouto knew too well.

“Ooo love~ Ooo, loverboy~” Her singing tone was teasing, nudging her friend slightly who sent her a small glare as he rolled up on a stop sign. She was clearly teasing him for what had been lingering so heavily on his mind as of late, putting her hands over her heart in a mock swoon as she continued to sing. “What’ya doin’ tonight?” She turned to him once more, batting her lashes as he stifled laughter, trying to pay attention to the road instead of his friend’s shenanigans. 

“Hey, boy~” She was still teasing, finger guns ready as she pointed them over to her companion, whose cheeks were now a slight tinge of red. “Set my alarm, turn on my charm, that’s because you’re a good old-fashioned loverboy.” Changing the lyrics to fit her teasing, Alana leaned over enough to be close to the flustered boy, propping her hand up in her hand, elbows resting on the center console between them. 

“Oooh, let me feel your heartbeat!” The teasing continued, though with the approach of a stop sign, she had no clue that it would soon be flipped on her. The next line was stolen from her by the boxer who turned to the side, eyes slightly narrowed as a smirk formed on his face, moving his face a few inches forward just to mess with his friend further. 

“Oo~ Can you feel my love heat?” He could barely contain his laughter, bursting out into fits of it the moment she shoved him away, cheeks puffed out in annoyance. “I’m supposed to be the one teasing here! This isn’t fair.” Arms crossed over her chest as the light turned green, sinking down as the other continued to sing in victory, fingers drumming against the wheel as he made a turn onto the street that had been calling his name for far too long. 

Ryouto took a side-glance over at his pouting friend, taking a hand off the wheel to nudge her shoulder at the approaching line. It got her attention, her eyes flitting over to glance at her friend, though they were slightly narrowed, unsure of exactly what he wanted from her. 

“Everything’s alright, just hold on tight, that’s because I’m a good old-fashioned loverboy~” The line was sung out, slight vibrato finishing it out from the other, lips still pulled in that teasing smirk the moment he finished his line. She had to fight a smile, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. The response he got, a half-assed “I hate you,” clearly wasn’t meant, getting a small snort from the other as he rounded another corner. 

They’d left the gas station a little bit ago, two bags of goodies set on the floor by Alana’s feet. Ryouto had surprisingly been made to pay again the moment her sheepish smile had come into view, heaving a sigh when she realized she’d left her wallet behind yet again, whether it was intentional or not. He had a feeling it would happen, so he arguably couldn’t be too upset about it, especially not with him bringing spare cash on the off chance that this exact situation occurred. 

Damn him and his over-preparedness. 

“Do you now?” His tone retained the teasing energy from before, though quickly stopped himself from saying the next statement as soon as the next song came on. Everybody Talks was truly one of his personal favorite songs to jam out to, his hand reaching over to crank the stereo up a few notches, readjusting his hand on the wheel so the other could dangle out the open window, colliding with the side of the jeep with the beat. 

The two sang their hearts out through the song, occasionally glancing over at each other to shout out various lyrics, Alana even adding in the “There he is, there’s my favorite white boy,” line at the build up of the chorus that made Ryouto almost snort with how hard it made him laugh. The carefree atmosphere continued into the next song, the two sharing excited glances the moment the familiar tune began.

The moment the drums and bass were included, it was over for the two of them.

Ryouto was drumming his hands against the steering wheel to the beat, and Alana had her hands clutched up to her chest, both of them long losing the singing and more so just outright screaming the lyrics to Electric Love. It was special, really, the way everything on his mind melted away to the tunes of music and the sounds of both of them screaming out lyrics they knew by heart, laughter filling in the gaps between lyrics. 

This was truly what he needed. 

After a few more songs, the two finally rolled up on their destination, the stereo turned down just enough for the two of them to finish out their heart-felt yet terrible rendition of Rollercoaster. They were nearly doubled over laughing by the end of it the moment Ryouto’s voice had cracked during the second chorus, visible tears pooling in the corners of Alana’s eyes with laughter at her friend’s shortcomings. 

The two finally got out as the song drew to a close, pausing the playlist where it was to pick up on it for their drive home, not wanting to lose their spot in the perfectly constructed queue. Alana had snagged the bags, and Ryouto had swung his arm lazily around her shoulder, the two still snickering as they made their way to the familiar apartment door, having a half a mind to actually knock this time.

They were in the middle of nudging each other, stifling fits of laughter when the door finally swung open, the slightly annoyed expression on the other side being the breaking point in their laughter. “Are you two deaf? Seriously, I think the whole neighborhood could hear you two come in.” Despite the expression on his face, it was clear he actually wasn’t annoyed by his tone, especially not at the sight of the two people he likely needed the most to keep his mind from wandering back to the place he was desperate to avoid. 

“Oh, come on, you know how sacred car rides are with this moron.” Alana teased, nudging her friend again who simply rolled his eyes as he entered, rubbing the back of his neck as he passed under the doorway. “That, and Everybody Talks came on. You cannot deny Everybody Talks,” was the justification given from Ryouto, who was promptly laughed at for just how ridiculous the statement was despite his truth.

Nobody can deny Everybody Talks, not even Satoru, who rolled his eyes despite understanding just how hard that song went. 

The trio entered the living space, the bags quickly discarded on the coffee as they collapsed on the couch. None really had much care for personal space when it was just them, Alana finding herself happily sprawled out in between the other two, her head in one lap and legs thrown lazily over the other. 

Without much said between them, the tv and Wii was quickly turned on, controllers passed out as they waited on the console to boot up. It was pretty common that the trio would play some kind of multiplayer game while they were over, either settling for Minecraft or some kind of Mario game. Mario Kart was standard, but today seemed like a Mario Party 8 kind of day, and that didn’t need to be voiced between them.

“Mm, Ryo, I’ll let you have Yoshi this time. I’m too comfortable to fight you today.” Alana was willing to concede that time, not wanting to get shoved off the couch or lose her comfortable pillow of Ryouto’s lap, being the first to snatch up a character of her choosing: Toad. 

“Nah, you can have him today.” Ryouto shrugged, selecting Daisy without much of a thought, rolling his eyes at the stifled cackle from his lap. “Let me live my princess fantasy out in peace, okay? Daisy is the baddest bitch in this room.” He huffed, puffing his cheeks out a bit as he was firm in his decision.

“Daisy? Nah, Peach is way better.” Satoru shook his head, moving away from his usual selection of Boo to pick Peach. “And I’ll show you both why Peach is the best princess.” Those were fighting words, all three of them knew it, the game quickly being loaded into as the three continued their small, petty argument over who the best princess truly was. 

“You two are both tasteless, but what can I expect from idiots who like men.” Alana squeaked a bit as she nearly got shoved off the couch by both of them, letting out a groan of indignation as she finally decided to sit up, still sandwiched between the two. “Rosalina is obviously the best princess. You cannot convince me otherwise.”

“If she was the best, then she would be relevant enough to be put in the best Mario Party game ever.” Satoru threw back, both boys looking at each other before they busted out laughing, a shared high five happening as Alana let out a whine. “Not my fault that Nintendo is tasteless! Rosalina is criminally underrated.” The defense was returned with a huff, though she had no clue that the eye contact between the other two had lingered just longer than normal. 

Just enough so that when they looked away at the indication of the beginning of the first round that the ghost of a blush lingered on both of their faces.

There wasn’t much time to dwell on emotions or feelings, though, as the game began, the competitive energy between the trio was strong. Each dice roll, each mini game, all three were determined to snatch up that victory and prove their princess the best. 

The match began shortly after the loading screen, the trio watching the opening sequence and explanation intently as if it was the first time any of them had played, even though this was a well-seasoned game in their rotation. There was an almost childish giddiness in all of their eyes, watching their characters load onto the platform to begin the match. 

“I’m gonna kick both of your asses!” It was Alana who rolled first, determination heavy in her voice as she shook the controller in hand, watching the dice icon at the top of the screen expand until she felt satisfied, releasing it and watching the dice roll across the screen, breath hitched in anticipation.

A 1. 

The boys stifled back laughter as Alana let out a small whine, eating her previous words almost immediately as she watched Toad barely move forward on the board. It was only when the two boys looked over at each other did they finally burst out laughing, Satoru having to hide his face in his hands and Ryouto leaning his head back against the couch, both losing it the moment they looked at each other. 

It took them a minute, but they calmed down enough for their own dice rolls, earning a respectable 4 and 5 each when their turns rolled around. The 4 moved Daisy up the spaces necessary to gain some coins, the 5 landing Peach on a square that granted her a candy and therefore a new type of dice, one that was slowed down so the number could be selected instead of randomly generated. 

The map they’d chosen for this game was the King Boo’s Haunted Hideaway, amusement spread across their faces at the small animations that attempted to scare them, or at minimum put them at ease. It was a favored map amongst them when they just wanted to play without much thought, and with the unspoken pretenses of why they were here in the first place heavy in the air, mindless playing was all any of them needed. 

“Shit!” A curse was seethed out as fingers mashed against buttons and controllers were tilted, eyes glinting and bodies shifted forward on elbows to near the screen during the first mini game. It always got intense with just how competitive each individual could get when it came to video games, such energy only increasing for something as sacred as Mario Party 8.

They were all getting deep into Kartastrophe, curses becoming more frequent as the match was getting closer. Lagging behind the two only slightly was Ryouto, who was gritting his teeth in frustration, trying to catch up to at least Alana’s kart before the nearing finish line, having lost his spot as a sharp turn had taken him by surprise in the prior lap.

All three were intently focused on the screen, all trying to cross the finish line first, groaning out when Peach’s pink kart was the first to cross it. The remaining two karts were nearly neck and neck, Daisy only being beaten out by a fraction of time, though it was still a victory that was taken with pride by Alana. 

“And I thought you were good at Mario Kart.” She jeered, making the other roll his eyes, trying to ignore the constant jabs sent his way as he clicked through the screens announcing coin distribution and the victor of the mini-game absentmindedly. They were never ones to dwell on those, wanting to get back to playing as quickly as possible. 

The rounds continued that way, the trio always neck and neck with each other, shouting or laughing at poor dice rolls and snickering when the loser of a mini game was determined. It was when Ryouto landed on a mini-game square, though, and their favorite mini game was on when they all finally quieted down, getting ready to kick some ass in Lava or Leave ‘Em. 

As if by some unsaid force, their gazes returned during the loading screen, both knowing exactly what the other had planned. “We doin’ this?” One mouthed, the other nodding firmly, eyes returning to the screen without another word, knowing exactly what they needed to do to take Alana down a peg. 

Containing their laughter was definitely proving to be difficult the more their little unspoken plan fell into action, Daisy purposefully moving just a bit too close to Toad on a few separate occasions, nudging her towards the edge of the platform all the characters had fallen onto. It wasn’t until the third and final time his character drew near on the screen that Alana finally fell into the pit of lava, moving too far to the right to try and counteract the proximity. 

“You asshole!” She groaned, shoving her still playing friend slightly who merely laughed in response, determined to at least make it far enough to beat out the npc they had with them to make it a fair and even match, or even Satoru himself, who appeared unphased despite his own hand in the matter. 

Almost as soon as he’d called it, Luigi had been hit by a fireball, sending him off the platform. 

“I’m not going down easy, you know that, right?” The jab was thrown out, eyes full of intensity daring to meet for a fraction of a second for both to prove their intents on taking the victory for this mini game. They let their characters move around the screen, avoiding the lava and fireballs, occasionally glancing up at the timer on the screen.

With 15 seconds to spare, the potential for a draw became clearer, though almost as quickly as the thought crossed anyone’s minds did it leave when Daisy seemed to have walked into a fireball, leaving Peach the lone victor. 

“The hell!? You totally had that!” Alana had no care for volume control as she drove her elbow into Ryouto’s side, huffing at the way he tilted his head back slightly in laughter. “You’re just gonna let him win like that?” She was nearly cut off from finishing her sentence by the hand that went to ruffle through her hair, an annoyed whine escaping her lips as her hair became slightly frizzy by his hand. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His voice feigned innocence as he shifted positions to become more comfortable, arm draping lazily over the back of the couch as he leaned more into the cushion behind him. “I got cornered, that’s all. I’ll take the L.” There was a small shrug following that statement as he clicked to skip through all the scoring screens, wanting to hurry up and get back to the gameplay. 

“You.. were in the middle of the screen.” Having it pointed out was annoying, sure, but being called out by the very person he let win caused Ryouto to genuinely falter. Had it been Alana, he would’ve merely laughed again, but he fell silent, the only noise coming from the clicking of his thumb against the A button. 

Nothing more was said as their focus was drawn back to the board, dice rolls finally coming back into play as each character was in turn to make their move. Toad landed on a blue space, earning 3 coins and letting out an animated whoop. Peach landed on a blue space as well, the character twirling as she was granted the same amount of coins. It was Daisy, though, who landed on a Versus space, and the mini game screen loaded up once more. 

There were a few curses uttered from the right side of the couch the moment it was called that he’d be stuck playing, yet again, against Satoru.

“You better not let me win, Ryo. I’m gonna beat you fair and square.” The sentence was spoken with that competitive sense of determination and craving for a just victory, getting a nod from the other who attempted to get into a better position on the couch to prepare for the selected mini game from the roster: Swing Kings. 

This game was always Ryouto’s favorite, and there were times he got too far into it, but today he was casual, hitting each ball with the mere flick of a wrist, not daring to move from his comfortable space on the couch. It was clear he was putting in genuine effort into each swing despite the lack of his normal animation during this particular mini game, and from the shine that lit up the deep recesses of distant oceans reflected in his gaze. 

The room was silent other than the noises emitted from the sound system, everyone on the edge of the couch at who would actually take the win on this as numbers began to pile high. 14, 15, 16 flashed on the screen as both kept great pace with each other, 17, 18, 19 coming shortly after with no surprise. As the timer drew close to ringing, the final swing was snatched, setting them a mere point apart. 

“Daisy!” 

The chirp of the princess’ name from the figure who stood triumphantly above the first place icon grabbed everyone’s attention, mouths slightly ajar at who had managed to pull through at the very end to win. The other two whipped their heads over to look at the winner in question, a cheesy grin flashing back to meet their shocked expressions. 

“What? You told me to not go easy.” He shrugged, lazily clicking through the screens again since the other two seemed incapable of pressing any buttons, slightly shocked that the promise was held and that he’d came out on top with the final, fluid motion of his wrist mere beats before the timer had hit 0. 

“Holy.. shit. I guess I did.”

The rounds continued on as such from that point on, single rounds melting into another as time seemed to blur and stomachs ached from laughter, time seemingly holding no factor in their fun as no clue was had by any as to just how much time had passed. The trio had stayed on the couch, bodies close and limbs stretched out and tangled, comfort setting in the more they played. 

It was nice, truly, a space where the trio could finally step away from anything holding them back, the only thing running through their minds was the timing of dice rolls or strategizing to win the next mini game. There was no time to dwell on anything, especially not the flash of red that lingered just in the very corner of his vision, though ignored for the sake of the flashing animations on the screen before him.

Though, there was something that soon had joined the endless strategizing in his head. 

He’d started to notice it two or three rounds ago, though it had been occurring throughout the entire gaming session. Finding himself glancing to the other side of the couch more frequently wasn’t what had set his mind off, but rather the fact that there was already a pair of eyes staring right back at him, always widening slightly as if he’d been caught red handed.

At first, the eye contact was broken immediately out of sheer embarrassment, but the more time had passed, the more it seemed to linger, surveying the other at such a proximity. There was practically no way to pass off the way they traced features with their gazes, or the strange erraticism that struck his heart the moment they pulled away. 

Though he was certainly not one to complain, especially not when he’d found himself indulging in the little things he began to notice about the other’s features, it wasn’t something he expected from this. 

He hoped he was thinking a bit too deep into things, that the small shuffle both took to try and get closer despite the over-eager girl sandwiched between them was a mere figment of his imagination. Maybe he’d imagined the way their legs were both spread out so their ankles could both be propped up on the coffee table, close enough to touch. 

Maybe it was just some lingering impacts of what had weighed so heavy on his brain mere hours prior, but he found himself wishing that this was only a two-player gaming session. 

“You two can stay for dinner if you want.” The offer was made as the final match winded to a close, the final star granted serving yet another win to Peach on a silver platter. As tempting as it was, and would normally be snatched up before it was even presented, the duo mutually decided against it.

“Nah, thanks though. Gotta clean up some before my siblings come home tomorrow.” A hand went to rub the back of the boxer’s neck, a bit embarrassed at the state he’d left the siblings’ shared apartment in. It was accepted with a simple nod, though Ryouto would swear there was something more behind the usually stoic expression, as if it was begging him to throw responsibility to the side to stay. 

“Yeah, I guess I’m stuck helping the idiot, or I’d so stay for free food.” Alana laughed a bit as she stood up, gesturing for Ryouto to follow as she grabbed her long finished bottle and candy bag, the other following suit as they walked over to dispose of it properly. 

“Who said it’d be free?” Was thrown back playfully, making Alana whip her head around with a sly grin. “Y’know, the track record that everytime Ryo’s here, one of you always buys take out so I never have to.” That shut Satoru up quickly, Ryouto opening his mouth on two separate occasions to speak and try to defend both of them, though falling short and closing the moment that he realized he had nothing to say. 

Alana pridefully made her way over to the door, humming a bit as she waited for the other two to finally break out of their shocked stupor, turning her head to look back at the duo who was staring everywhere but the other. Like clockwork, the two walked over as soon as her eyebrow was raised, and goodbyes were exchanged before the door was opened, Alana leaving out of it and bounding over to the car with a bounce in her step.

“Hey-” 

Something tugged him back, stopping Ryouto from following her, eyes widening in shock at the sudden warmth emitting from his hand. He looked back, shocked to see Satoru had grabbed his hands, eyebrows screwed together as if there was something he wanted to say.

He couldn’t bring himself to speak, merely letting out a small hum as the sole proof that he was listening, a slight heat rising to his nose and cheeks at the sudden contact. There was so much tension in the air, unsure as to what was to come out of this as the door swung to a close, shielding the two in a bit of needed privacy.

“I, uhm- You know you can come to me if you need anything, right?” The statement garnered the slight turn of a head that soon turned into a nod, though he was unsure exactly why this was being vocalized. Ryouto’s reliance on both of his best friends was well known, and he went to them more than he should for any little problems. Though, his surprise soon dissipated as he realized this was the first time he hadn’t ran to them for the change in his mood. 

“Y-Yeah.. I know, thank you.” His voice was softer than usual, a smile gracing his features as the other took a step forward, the two now mere inches apart. Ryouto would be lying if he said his focus hadn’t shifted downwards just slightly to a pair of lips that he wished to capture in his own, knowing better than to act on whatever urge had began to snag at the back of his mind. 

This was his best friend. This was strictly being done platonically. 

Right?

“If you need to, my afternoon class got cancelled tomorrow. You can come over if you want.” Their hands still were clasped together, neither having the heart to break the contact as they spoke, faces red and voices low as if anyone might dare to hear, even if it just sounded like a normal exchange between a friend concerned for another. 

“I might take ya up on that. I’ll text you.” That was practically his way of agreeing to it, knowing he had practically no plans tomorrow other than seeing his siblings back from their independent business trips, and probably having to deal with the sappiness in his living room the moment his brother reunited with his fiance. 

“Text me when you two get back, too. I want to make sure you get home safe.” The statement got a small laugh in response and another earnest nod, his hand moving to the front pocket of his jeans the moment the contact had been dropped, hoping to keep the warmth from it. “Of course, I’ll get her back in one piece,” came jokingly after, though he was unsure if what was whispered back was his hyperactive imagination or reality. 

“Get yourself back in one, too, please.”

Ryouto had turned to leave after that, giving one last wave before he let the door shut behind him, only able to breathe as soon as he got within the safety of his car. Though, he could feel the eyes on him from the passenger seat, looking over in curiosity at the narrowed eyes staring back at him. 

“You two finally done making out in there? Your face is just about as red as his hair, seriously!” Alana’s annoyance was clearly forced as she hid a smile, though it quickly became real at the slight sputtering of a “No!” that came in response. 

An annoyed groan hit the air, the next song on the playlist coming on as the car began to back out of its parking space, the final rays of light from the setting sun illuminating their way. “You two have been staring at each other all night, and you’re telling me you didn’t make out when you stayed behind? I call bullshit.”

“Why would-” He was cut off by a glare, one that made his skin crawl despite the fact that his eyes were fully focused on the road. It was one he could sense from the way it set fire to his skin the moment it hit him, letting out a sigh as he knew what was next from her. 

“When are you finally gonna act on your feelings?” 

A sigh escaped his lips as he took a hand off the steering wheel to turn the song up just slightly, moving it back to the wheel without another word. He stayed quiet for some time, thinking over what she said, wondering if there was any present at all. It wasn’t like he would understand them at all even if they were, though he couldn’t deny the lingering warmth in his hand and chest. 

“I don’t know.” He muttered, focused on the road ahead of him, refusing to look his friend in the eyes during this. He let out a sigh, drumming his fingers against the wheel before he finally spoke once more, voice smaller and hardly heard above the bass of the Jeep’s stereo.

“Maybe one day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh the mutual pining is strong in this one
> 
> Socials if you'd like to interact-  
> Twt: @dollietingz  
> Insta: @softer.thana.daisy
> 
> Spotify Playlists-  
> Main: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6gymjrIaFjDrWTdfAs1FZh?si=3oZIOy7MTSGXGmuuJnAWbw  
> Ryouto’s: https://open.spotify.com/track/1syWM2X9Joy2MdRznIaTil?si=f7uIk9xVTZu4zVoFcP6laA  
> Ryouto & Alana's Car Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4suMEIU0UhMuT2FyoR48Ir?si=DbT4y2uNSpWrrieF6iVy1Q


	4. Found You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this chapter was genuinely worth the wait. It's a solid 9.5k words, the longest yet, and shows most of the characters in the tags (: CW/TW for descriptions of panic attacks.

The drive home was silent, deathly so. There was none of the usual humming, no singing, no screaming or hands thrown up to the sky with each song. Only silence, and the dull hum of music that had been changed long ago to fit the night time atmosphere. 

With the sun having set below the barely visible line of a distant horizon hours ago, the two were shrouded in darkness, the only lights granted to them were of headlights, or the street lamps that hung overhead, though the road was otherwise dark, just the two of them returning down the same route from which they once came.

The atmosphere was different this time, Alana could tell. It was unsettling to see the person she relied upon the most for constant noise and beaming smiles so bright that they were blinding to be silent, both hands on the wheel as he stared off into the dark road in front of them. Her bottom lip was soon sandwiched in between her teeth, nipping down slightly on the soft skin as she stared at her best friend out of the corner of her eye.

She had no clue what had him the way he was, especially after being around the one person who seemingly made him light up like a struck match. It confused her to no extent to see his eyebrows knitted so firmly together and grip so tight on the wheel that his knuckles were dusted with the faintest hint of snowy white, but there was one thing she could deduce from his state:

Something was plaguing his mind, and her eyes screamed desperately for answers, even if she couldn’t bring herself to open her mouth to beg for them.

She hadn’t been able to hear the last thing he said over the music, though she questioned if it was really something that she was meant to hear. The blasting music has shrouded his moment of vulnerability in the sound of symphonic beats and hyperpop tuning, but now with the soft sounds of an acoustic guitar and the gentle drum that accompanied it, there was nothing to hide behind anymore. 

Which was why he remained silent, gaze fixed straight ahead, with his mouth drawn into a thin line. 

The road wasn’t his main concern, merely staring out into a point somewhere in the distance as he drove, only occasionally pulling his glance away from that fixed point to check his mirrors. His thoughts weighed heavy on his mind, shoulders sagging slightly as he turned the wheel to pull onto their street, leaving the main road behind for the quiet streets of suburbia. 

Instinctively, he reached over to turn the music down a few notches, not wanting to disturb the passing homes, looking out at each meticulously kept front lawn as the car continued on its way. It was the first time that entire ride that he’d allowed his hands to move away from the steering wheel, and it did not return, merely resting on the gear shift as he let out a small sigh of relief at the upcoming street sign. 

The white, printed letters against the green sign were the solace that brought him temporary comfort, the spelling out of ‘Magnolia Way’ helping to loosen some evident tension in his grip. Though his car was often his source of comfort, he for once felt trapped in the iron framework of the vehicle, wanting nothing more than to thrust open the door and feel the crunch of concrete or the softness of grass underfoot. 

Even if the top and windows were still down, Ryouto found himself desperate for fresh air, feeling suffocated by the breeze that he also took great comfort in on most late night drives. The way it hit his face just enough for tears to prick in the corner of his eyes was normally something that was attributed to his high, but was now heightening his low, causing him to slow the vehicle down to a mere cruise as he turned into their apartment complex. 

He rolled up to the gate’s access box, fumbling in his pockets for his card as his foot sunk down on the break, keeping it from moving forward while he unbuckled his seatbelt. Without a word, he moved the gear shift into park momentarily so he could lean out of his window to tap the card against the box, the soft beep signaling that the gate would finally open.

The metal gate groaned as it swung outward, permitting the Jeep to enter into the small complex. There were only a few buildings along the road, forming a sort of cul de sac with the office building resting in its center, allotted parking spaces dotting along the sides of the winding road, the car pulling into an open one directly in front of the building with a large ‘3’ painted above its entrance. 

Nothing was said as the car was cranked off, or when the keys were slipped from the ignition. No words were shared as the doors opened and seatbelts were unclicked, or as the doors shut and the car beeped at the press of a button on the key fob in hand. Silence followed them up the stairwell and down the hallway, and directly to the door that was swiftly unlocked. 

Being greeted by darkness, the duo entered in and immediately discarded their shoes in the entrance, all before stepping onto the smooth wooden floor with bare feet. The cool chill sent shivers up their spines as they entered the living space, one of them moving over to flick on a lamp while the other crossed to turn on the overhead lights that hung just above the entertainment center that hosted their television. 

The phone was discarded on the open wood directly below the mounted screen itself, and a single button was pressed to fill the room once more with sweet, sweet music. 

In this time, the duo took to cleaning, an unspoken understanding between the two the moment their eyes had locked for the first time since leaving Satoru’s apartment as soon as Ryouto had looked up from his own phone, sending the requested text that ensured that the two got home safely. There was a ghost of a smile on his face as his fingers pressed the digital keys, but as soon as the phone was stowed away in the right pocket of his sweatpants, it faded as quickly as it had come. 

The dull hum from the phone filled the space with what little noise it could as the two began cleaning up the mess left in the wake of overthinking and spiraling. One had grabbed the small trash can from the side of the desk to collect the garbage that littered the coffee table and breakfast bar, the other going to the laundry room down the hall to grab cleaning products, snatching paper towels and a sponge from the kitchen on the way there. 

It was soothing, simply existing in a room with another person while doing something monotonous. A simple task, easily executed by the soft squirt of a spray bottle or the stooping over of a frame to snatch a crumbled up wrapper discarded days ago on the ground, helped him to finally bring himself to some sort of mental clarity, no longer having his vision clouded and mind blurred by deep contemplation.

He didn’t understand why it impacted him so much, being presented with his own feelings, but it always did. 

He was never good with understanding them, nor was he ever comfortable being confronted by them, but there was a lot that he knew was far more than just simple friend things. The longing stares, the slight warmth at even a simple touch, the melting smiles, that weird feeling in his chest that he always got when his name left the other’s mouth. It was more than just platonic, he was sure of that fact, but would he be willing to admit it to himself?

Even thinking about it caused his chest to tighten and his face to feel as if it was on fire, slightly relieved that his back was turned as he worked on wiping down the kitchen counters and stove top of any crumbs or debris. It made him genuinely uncomfortable to dwell on, but no matter how much he tried, these thoughts always returned, creeping up on him and making his skin tingle.

It was when Alana joined him in the kitchen to work on washing up the mountain of dishes that he truly recognized just how much this was bothering him. The simple brush of soapy fingers when passing plates or cups had his skin on fire, a course of electricity sending his body into genuine shock, fighting as hard as he could to avoid showing any signs of his internalized struggle. 

He hadn’t even realized he was being spoken to until his shoulder was nudged, eyes widening as a shallow intake of desperate air entered his lungs as if his head had been submerged under water. “Ryo.. You okay?” The question came out of genuine concern, her voice small and mouse-like as it hit his ears, his head hanging just enough for his bangs to obscure his vision as he finished rinsing off the last plate of the stack.

“Y.. Yeah, I’m okay.” His voice was trembling, betraying his desperate efforts to keep everything under wraps, but it was as soon as he looked into her eyes that he finally broke. The cup in his hands was grabbed and set on the counter, the sink faucet quickly turned off, and a towel was thrown at him far faster than he could comprehend. 

“Go clean yourself up, Ryo.. I’ll finish up here.” She reached a hand out to rest it gently on his shoulder, brows furrowed in worry, eyes once more pleading for answers. He couldn’t give them even if he tried, his throat hoarse and producing no sounds when he opened his mouth, sufficing for a mere nod before he trudged out of the kitchen and to his bedroom down the hall. 

As soon as the door was shut, his back hit against the wood, sliding down until he was sat with his head in his hands. He could feel the frantic erraticism of his heart beating furiously against his chest, eyes widened and focused on some point in the floor that he could see through the gaps of his fingers. 

“Holy shit. Holy shit-” His voice was hardly above a whisper, and no matter how many times he tried to swallow or to clear his throat, the lump in it that he attributed to its current state never seemed to go away. A hand moved to clasp over his mouth, the next statement one he never expected to come from his own mouth.

“I’m.. I’m in love with my best friend.”

Hearing it hit the air made him freeze up, his breath hitched and hands trembling as they were pulled away from his face to stare down at them, eyes frantically looking around his palms as if they’d give him any sort of answer. When they gave him no such thing, they returned to hide his lips, the same statement uttered previously being repeated the moment they returned. 

“I’m… I’m in love with my best friend. I’m in love. With my best friend.” With each repeat of the sentence, it began to sound like a fact and not something he was trying to either convince himself of the validity or falsehood of the statement, eventually saying it through choked out laughter. 

“Holy shit! I’m in love with my best friend.” The more he admitted it to himself, the more he found it almost humorous that he hadn’t noticed sooner, or accepted its truth. He was sure he looked ridiculous, laughing on his bedroom floor after confessing such a statement to the lingering silence, and was sure he’d look even more ridiculous if the handle above his head dared to jiggle.

Just as that thought had crossed his mind, there was a soft knock on the door, and the sound of shuffling feet as if the person on the other side was contemplating saying something. It gave him an opportunity to scramble from the floor, smoothing down the fabric of his hoodie before opening it, letting Alana in.

It was once the bedroom door shut that he finally let himself say it to another person. 

“You’re right,” was the way he started out, though from the raise of her eyebrow, he was sure she had almost no clue what she was talking about. “I’m.. always right, but what about this time?” She shot back almost teasingly, though it lacked a lot of the power she’d usually have, sounding much smaller as if she was timid to speak. 

“Look, just- You’re right, okay?” He didn’t mean to become defensive, but admission was always hard for him. He never knew the right words to communicate what he was thinking, what he was feeling, or how it would sound to another person, his teeth sinking into his lower lip as he dared not to look at her, not wanting to look into an expression teeming with worry and confusion.

It was only when a gentle, guiding hand grabbed onto him and led him over towards his bed and he felt himself fall into the outstretched arms of a comforting friend that he finally felt like he could say it.

“I think you’re right about my, uhm, feelings?” He sounded hesitant, even in the small space between them, where his head had found its home rested on top of her chest, soothed by the feeling of delicate fingers threading through his hair. There was a soft chuckle that vibrated in her chest, tickling his ear as she tried her best to stifle it.

“About time you realized them.” She was clearly teasing, continuing to brush hair away from his face, trying to pull him from his hiding place behind curtains of black. “Now, what are you going to do about them?” The voice was kept gentle and soft as it hit his ears, his eyes daring to close as he searched for answers in the darkness of his mind. “I-”

“And don’t tell me you don’t know,” cut him off from saying that exact thing, a sigh leaving his lips as soon as he realized just how screwed he was. Feelings were never his forte. To realize he had them was one thing, but to realize that they were targeted towards his best friend was jarring.

“He’s gonna kill me.” He groaned out, sighing for the uptenth time when Alana began to laugh once more. “You’re worse off than I thought, then.” Her voice trembled with laughter, the musing tone causing him to look up at her with a half-assed glare. 

“What do ya mean by that?” He was answered only by laughter, soft and giddy, amused at his own demise. 

It took a bit for her to calm down, but when she did, she managed to shuffle down a bit to properly rest her head on his pillow, a yawn escaping as she did so. “Just sleep on it for now, okay? I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” She dared to let her eyes close, though she never stopped the fluid motion of her fingers through the sea of jet black hair, gently and delicately wading through the waters with each stroke of her fingers. 

“You always do, Ryo.”

\-- 

The fresh rays of a morning sun stirred him from his sleep, squeezing his eyes shut and burrowing his face further into soft fabric to try and evade its grasp. The grappling match between his desperate fingers clinging to the last strings of sleep and the tugging of light to pull him from slumber waged on, but in the end, the sun claimed victory, and a pair of eyes as dark as the ocean blue fluttered open. 

The first thing he saw when he dared to open his eyes was one of the many posters on his wall, the dynamic pose of Spiderman staring straight back at him, body scrunched in as if it was swinging through the open air, barely evading the comic-style text below his feet. ‘You can do this’ was written in big, bold letters, white and black against the otherwise slew of colors that made up the fast-moving background of the piece. 

“You can do this.” He whispered to himself, hoping to not wake up the sleeping figure that kept him caged to her chest, the steady rise and fall a comforting rhythm against his ear. The sound of a steady heartbeat put him at ease, enough to lull him into a state of calm, daring to let his eyes close once more to relish in the moment. 

“Fuck it, I can do this.” He murmured quietly before daring to move from his comfortable position to snatch his phone from the charging port, immediately unlocking it and opening his texts. His fingers moved lightyears faster than his own mind did every other day, often texting out things before he could even register that they’d been thoughts of his at all, but today was different. 

Both thumbs were seemingly trapped in time, unmoving, hovering above the keyboard, not daring to hit a single key. 

They stayed that way for what felt like hours until he finally turned his phone back off, tossing it to the other side of the bed as he let himself sink further into the bed, letting out an annoyed groan. He couldn’t do it, and even if he could, he had genuinely no idea of how to do so. 

“Mm.. You good?” Alana’s voice was hoarse and raspy with sleep, but still held concern for her clearly frustrated friend, who shook his head before hiding it in the softness of a pillow. Whatever he said in response was far too quiet and muffled for her to understand, though she was sure she knew exactly what the tired incoherence was about.

“Did you try and text him?” She asked curiously, sitting up some on her elbows to get a better view of her friend’s dejected nodding. “And did you send anything?” A yawn was stifled back with the next question, a hand moving to cover her mouth as he yet again shook his head. “You’re a fuckin’ mess, Ryo. C’mon, let’s go eat something and figure out a game plan. I’m starving.”

It was with that, that the duo decided to leave the warmth of Ryouto’s bed, walking a bit too close to try and cling onto the last remaining warmth either of them still had from the copious amounts of blankets, pillows and even stuffed animals on his bed. They remained relatively quiet as they exited the room and wandered down the hallway, doing small things like extending out arms to pop elbows or pushing both arms upward over their head to let their shoulders release some evident tension.

“Think Tsuro’s home yet?” Alana chirped as she immediately darted over to the fridge when the kitchen came into view, bending down slightly to get a better view of everything in there. She grimaced when most of what remained in the fridge was drinks, sending Ryouto a small glare as she started rummaging to find something, anything to make.

Balled up fists went to rub the tiredness from his eyes as the kitchen light flickered on once his hand moved away from the switch, mouth opening to yawn as he let his friend do as she wanted with his fridge. There wasn’t much left from his mini grocery shop at the beginning of the week, and he had to rummage through the notes app on his phone to remember what all his older sister had planned out for him to eat for that week. All simple meals he could make himself without the need to whine for help.

“Uhm.. There’s stuff for some egg and rice?” He suggested, voice deeper than usual and laced with the lingering with the lasting effects of sleep. It was gruff against the otherwise soft morning air, nearing something close to sultry as the words came out, his statement phrased more like a question than anything else. 

There was a simple hum in response, thoughtful in nature, a finger daring to perch itself upon a soft pillow of rosy pink, lips slightly chapped and rough against her skin. “Fine by me.” She mused out, backing away from the fridge with two monster cans in hand, tossing one over to her unsuspecting friend, who nearly didn’t catch it.

“You’re really stuck on this, huh?” The question took the air out of his lungs, stopping in his tracks as he’d reached inside the fridge to grab out the carton of eggs, eyes widening slightly. “I.. I guess so.” Yet again, he struggled with admitting it, gritting his teeth together as he willed his body to move, shutting the fridge door as soon as the carton was secured in his grasp. 

She was about to open her mouth to say something, and by the expression on her face, it was likely for the best that she was cut off, the jingling of keys in the lock causing both of their heads to whip around to the door. They hadn’t even heard the voice from the other side, but it appeared that the man was on the phone with someone, the phone propped in the crook of his shoulder as he pushed the door open, keys in one hand and suitcase dangling from the other. 

“Ay, welcome home, Tsu.” Ryouto kept his voice low so as to not disrupt the phone call, getting a mere nod from his older brother as he discarded his suitcase and keys by the door so he could slip his shoes off. The conversation was nothing of interest to either, who turned back around to fish out the rice cooker from an overhead cabinet, but it made for good background noise that kept Alana from questioning him further. 

“Yes, ‘m home.” The older male spoke with an air of exhaustion behind his tone, one that resembled in the slight narrowness of his eyes and the colorful blossom of lilac on the supple skin underneath. “Baby, ya know ya can come. I ‘ont care. Yer sister’s here, anyway.” His accent was thick, words poignant yet slurred slightly by tiredness alone, his free hand going to pinch the skin between his brows as he walked back to his bedroom, offering nothing more than a small shrug to the two in the kitchen.

“Guess she’s coming? We might not have enough rice.” Ryouto was clearly joking as he measured out the rice from a ridiculously large container, Alana letting out an exasperated groan as she heard the bedroom door shut from further down the hall, muffling the voice to the point where anything he said was next to incoherent. “We’ll just eat it all before she gets here.” She fired back, glaring at the front door before moving to go wash the rice in the sink, grumbling quietly to herself as she went. 

It was then when Ryouto had a moment to pull his phone out of his pocket, leaning against the counter to check the two new notifications he’d gotten since he’d last checked it. One was a simple pop up message from a phone game he’d slowly become addicted to recently promising extra gems as part of the daily log-in bonus, and the other got his eyes to widen slightly, and a small smile to grace his once stoic features. 

‘From: Sato  
Hey, we still on for today?’

He glanced between his phone and Alana, unsure of if she’d even noticed he had grabbed out his phone, lest if she knew what was going on. When their eyes met, he looked a bit sheepish causing the girl to turn the faucet off to come lean on his shoulder, peering over his shoulder - or, moreso around, as even when he was leaning, he was still far taller than her - to read the message. 

“Abandoning me for your boyfriend? I feel betrayed.” Her voice was laced with false hurt, a wet hand going to her forehead that she’d forgotten to dry off, droplets of water left behind as soon as the dramatic gesture ended. He stifled back laughter as he reached over to wipe them off before she had the chance to whine or complain, rolling his eyes.

He hadn’t had a chance to respond, not when the doorknob jiggled a few times, and his sister walked in through the door, her hand clutched in another girl’s hand. 

“Ah, perfect!” Her voice was gentle as she let the door close behind them, both taking their shoes off before going to cross the couches and dining table, Alana’s eyes widening as soon as they neared. The shorter girl, hair ashen brown and curled delicately to frame her porcelain-like face, stared at her with indifferent eyes, watching the way she silently pleaded for Ryouto to let her out of the situation.

“Go.” He whispered in her ear, squeezing her shoulder and giving her permission to go hide out in his room until he felt out who this mystery girl was, feeling unsettled by the way her half-lidded gaze stared back at him, those hazel eyes reflecting the light in just the right way for a strange sense of deja vu to wash over him. 

Alana was quick to nod her head and leave the kitchen, accidentally bumping against the girl as she left the kitchen to go back to his bedroom. A small squeak left her throat the moment their shoulders and arms brush, the exchange short but awkward, though long enough for something miraculous to occur. 

Two pairs of oceanic eyes met each other, widened with shock, mouths agape as they witnessed the red strings on both of their hands finally have an end. 

“Hiroshi, did-” He could barely form words, unsure of if he was hallucinating, or if he actually just saw his dear friend’s string finally connect to someone they’d never met before. The nod he got back was startling, but by the blink of confusion from the girl, it seemed she had no clue what just occurred. 

“Well.. Ryo, I guess this makes this all the more important, hm?” Hiroshi sighed, letting go of the girl’s hand, only to place it on her shoulder. “I told you and Tsuro that I was going out to take care of some important business, and I finally got it sorted out.” The way she was speaking as if what she had to say was the most important thing in the world caused Ryouto great confusion, but he nodded, discarding his phone on the counter to show he was being attentive. 

“I don’t know how to say this, but-,” his sister was cut off by the other girl, who took a step forward and curtsied, hands gripping the flared out skirt gently, the movement almost mechanical with its precision. “It appears that I am your sister, Ryo, was it? It is a pleasure to meet you.” Her voice was even more mechanic, the trills and upticks of tone and octave feeling forced, movements languid yet robotic, as if she was being puppeteered as she returned to her strangely perfect posture. 

“You’re- What?” He looked absolutely shell shocked, confused glance flicking between both siblings, mouth hanging open slightly. He tried to speak past that, but his mouth merely opened and returned shut like a fish out of water, his feet moving backwards out of pure instinct until his back hit the counter once more. 

“You were likely too young to remember, Ryo, but this is your younger sister, Reiko. She was adopted separately by a different foster family than yours, and managed to reach out to me only now.” Hiroshi kept her voice gentle, crossing over to offer her younger brother any sort of comfort possible, pulling him into her arms. 

“Breathe. It’s okay. I know.” He hadn’t even realized his breathing pattern had fallen into a state of erraticism, nor did he realize that each breath was shallow and shaky, laced with desperation with each intake of air into his lungs. “There is something more we need to discuss, though we need sweet ‘Lana out here for it.” Her voice was a soft purr against the shell of his ear, face buried into the crook of her shoulder, body hunched slightly to make the embrace more comfortable for the two of them.

“Calm down some, and go get her. I saw it happen too, trust me.” The circles rubbed into his back helped calm him down from whatever had caused him such panic, the unsettling deja vu he got everytime he stared too long into the thick underbrush of hazel that was currently watching him be essentially cradled by his older sister, her gaze feeling like fire as she traced the hand gripping onto the fabric of Hiroshi’s overcoat or of the shaky rise and fall of his chest. 

He didn’t even understand what put him in such a state, what made his heart race and lungs seer in his chest, screaming for air, blaming it solely on the repressed memories he refused to focus on the way they continued to lurk in the dark recesses of his mind.

“How did.. How did you find her?” He was sputtering slightly as he spoke, though able to finally form words, the fish out of water finally having oxygen return to his screaming lungs. Though he didn’t spiral into a full panic attack, there was something that set him pretty damn close to one, his eyes stinging despite the lack of tears produced.

“She reached out to me. Found my email through my company profile, and the rest is history.” Hiroshi explained, mouthing a small apology to Reiko, who stood awkwardly in the doorway, her feet shuffling in apprehension. The curling of a finger to draw near caused the girl to walk forth, her heels clicking against the linoleum as she peered at her brother, head slightly tilted. 

“You.. said I had another brother, right, miss Hiroshi?” She asked with an air of curiosity behind her tone, though there was no such change in her expression, lashes fluttering and feet poised, finger lifted up to graze the flawless skin of her cheek. “Oh, yes, you do. Ryo, grab him once you get Alana. We have a lot to discuss.”

\--

The moment the door shut behind him, he immediately whipped his head to the form on his bed, who was lazily tapping away at the controls on his PSP. She was wrapped up in a cocoon of his blankets, resting her head on one of the larger stuffed bears that rested on the left side of his bed, this one propped up against the wall to give her optimal comfort. She hummed a bit as to let him know she was listening and had recognized his entry into the room, though didn’t look up from the small display screen she was intently focused on.

“Alana.” He crossed the room quickly, the bed sinking slightly as he got onto it, perching himself on the corner, feet resting against the exposed frame so his knees were closer to his chest. Another hum signaled for him to continue, and he let out a frustrated groan, letting his forehead hit his knees. 

“You’re not gonna believe this shit.” He turned his head slightly to look at her, the quip of her brow urging him on. “That girl? She’s my little sister. Guess she got adopted before we all did and the foster family didn’t permit us any contact.” Alana definitely looked a bit shocked, her gaze flickering upwards to search his face before returning to the game, taken aback by the news. 

“That’s.. Crazy.” She was genuinely shocked though unsure of how to respond, thumb furiously clicking the A button. “That isn’t even the craziest part. Listen to this shit. She’s your soulmate.” That got her to whip her head up from the game, not even caring as her character lost a life at the hand of the boss, looking as if she’d just seen a ghost. 

“I know, right? I watched it happen, your strings connecting. It happened when you too bumped into each other. Hiro saw it too so I know I’m not seeing things.” He hated the fact that everything he was saying was being met with startling silence, his friend looking as if her entire world was crumbling around her. “Do you need a h-” “Give me a hug.” Being cut off by opened arms and a pleading voice, he wrapped his best friend in a tight hug, rocking their bodies slightly. 

“She seems sweet, Lana. All you’ve gotta do is talk to her.” He murmured against her hair, resting his cheek against the top of her head, continuing the gentle swaying to lull her back into a sense of calm. “You think I can talk to her? You’re funny.” Her voice was laced with laughter, her body shaking slightly with the force of it, though it was oddly silent, no such noise accompanying the action.

The silence continued on, neither knowing what to say, both completely lost, unsure of what to do about the predicament. 

“What the hell are we gonna do?” 

“We!?” He sounded exasperated, though it seemed he already knew exactly why it was ‘we’. She was far too anxious in nature to deal with a situation like this by herself, so it was clear that he had no choice in being roped into the dilemma. That, and they were both shit out of luck with their own situations, so here they were, staring into each other’s eyes desperately, hoping to find answers in differing shades and tones that reflected the same haunted appearance. 

“Yes, we!” She shared the same levels of exasperation, a hand going up to shake his shoulder as if she was trying to grab his attention even though all eyes were on her, widened and filled with a variety of emotions. 

“Fuck, Ryo, you know I can’t just talk to her. You’re lucky I talk to your sorry ass half the time! I’m screwed.” She groaned out, collapsing against her friend, letting her body collide against his sturdy frame. The soft ‘oof’ from his lips was the sole response she got as his face screwed up in contemplation, trying to think of some sort of game plan to help her without throwing her completely to the wolves. 

That wouldn’t be a good idea. 

Right?

“Hear me out on this, and let me finish before objecting.” That statement made Alana gulp out of sheer nerves, looking up with an unsure expression but nodded anyway to urge him on. “What if we just say fuck it and go out there. If we do it without thinking, you won’t have time to like freak out about how dumb it is, just about the consequences.” 

“Holy shit..” Alana sounded incredulous, and for a split second he was almost convinced that she thought it was a good idea, until her face fell and he was met with a glare. “You’re a fucking dumbass, you know I’m not gonna be recklessly impulsive like that.”

He took a second to think, mulling it over, until a pretty important realization hit him. “What if you don’t have to be the impulsive one?” The suggestion sounded like music to her ears until the implications were realized, then she looked a mix of terrified and worried. 

“What, are you gonna go out there and ask her for me?” She hardly had a chance to think, let alone act, before a hand snatched hers and pulled her up out of the warmth and comfort of her cocoon, dragging her towards the door despite her protests. 

“Ryouto!” She was freaking out, but it seemed her friend was determined to push through both of their worries and anxieties, and at least have one of them win by the end of this. 

\--

The chime of a ringtone caused the form on the bed to let out a soft groan, eyes fluttering open to stare at the ceiling above his head. He’d crashed onto his bed, lounging comfortably on his back, the moment he’d entered his room, phone discarded on the first surface that he came into contact with. 

He let it ring, refusing to pull his body from his comfortable state, one hand moving up to rub circles into his left temple. The trip back wasn’t at all stressful, not enough to justify a headache of this magnitude, only being able to blame the pounding and pressure on the length of travel. 

The continued ringing, though monotonous in nature, was frustrating enough to cause him to be unable to completely ignore it as he so desired. It continued to blare from across the room, loud enough that it made him wince, the sixth or seventh ring doing him in. He pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, forcing himself to stand with a string of curses at the dots in his vision. 

Crossing his room with the curses continuing to stream out of his lips, he snatched his blaring phone with far too much force, hardly having half a mind to check the contact before accepting the call, closing his eyes as soon as the cool screen met his ear. 

“What the hell do ya want?” He sounded pissed, he was sure of it, the words snapped out with pent up aggression and frustrations attributed to his headache. The voice at the other end was the last one he wanted to hear too, causing him to grit his teeth, nearly slamming the phone back down and hanging up as soon as he heard the deeper, raspy voice of a multi-decade smoker. 

“Kahiyana. Just the man I needed!” The boisterous voice made him cringe, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as if he was right in front of the man. “What the hell do ya want, Hendrickson? Spit it the fuck out. I’ve got shit ‘t do.” His words were laced with poison, eyes narrowed slightly, defenses up to guard himself from the low chuckle on the other end.

“Sheesh, always so vicious. What’d I ever do to piss ya off so much?” The sentence provoked a slight growl, though he bit his tongue, sure that the man knew exactly what he’d done for years to garner such deep-seated rage and hatred. “Piss off. Tell me what ya want before I ‘ang up. I spent a whole week dealin’ with yer petty requests. Don’t waste more of my time.” 

Yet again, he was answered with a chuckle that caused him to tighten his grip on his phone, hand slightly shaking out of sheer frustration.

“Tsuro, Tsuro.. You’ll never get what’ya want talkin’ to people like that.” The voice cooed back in his ear, another visible grimace forming on his face. “Ya ain’t a person, Hendrickson. What do ya want? Don’t make me repeat myself again.” The fire in his stomach was only building, frustrations mounting higher and higher the more seconds that ticked away on the call’s timer. 

“I wanted ‘t know if yer bitch was around. I need s’mthin from ‘er. Connections, really.” As innocent as the man sounded, his intentions were clear from miles away, and there was no way in hell Tsuro was bowing to him today. 

“She ain’t here, and even if she was, there’s no way in hell I’d let ya talk to her. Piss. Off.” He shouted the last two words, emphasized greatly as they were spat out with pure malice in his heart, his finger slamming the button to hang up the call as soon as he jerked it away from his ear. Taking a minute to just breathe, he stayed in the middle of his bedroom, nearly shouting curses the moment he heard a series of knocks against his bedroom door. 

The man stalked over, shaking his head as he realized his frustrations weren’t to be taken out on any siblings or even Alana if it was her on the other side, opening the door calmly as if there were no problems present, and as if he wasn’t seething mere moments ago.

Stood in the doorway was his younger brother, who was keeping a tight grip on his friend, Alana looking absolutely horrified as if she’d just seen a ghost. He had no care to question the way her eyes screamed for help, or the sheepish way Ryouto had begun to rub his neck with his free hand.

“I- er, sorry, but we’ve got a, uh, situation? Yeah, situation, that Hiroshi needs your help with.” Though, that got a raise of his brow, eyes darting between the two for answers. When nothing came but a nervous sound that resembled laughter from his brother, who nearly stumbled over his prior sentence, it was clear this was something dire, and Tsuro brushed by the two with an elongated sigh and a few colorful curses uttered under his breath. 

His pace was quicker than normal as he downed the hallway, rounding the corner with an inquisitive look on his face, glancing around for his sister in the living room. Though, the thing he lied on first made his eyes widen and mouth fall open, as if the wind had been snatched from his eyes by the pair of hazel eyes that stared back into his, half lidded with lack of interest. 

“H.. Hitomi?” He choked out, hands flying to cover his mouth, the girl before him raising a brow as if he’d just spoken to her in tongues. Before he was given a chance to cross the room and demand answers, his sister bolted over, resting a hand on his shoulder to try and ground him, and a pair of arms wrapped around him from further down his waist, a head buried into his side. 

“That’s not her, Tsu..” His sister’s voice was like a feather in the wind, hoping to bring him some kind of solace, though it only brought him greater confusion. Staggering back and taking the slightly trembling Alana with him, Tsuro’s shaky hands remained clasped over his mouth, breath becoming staggered and more desperate with each shallow intake.

“Tsuro. That’s not mom.” It was another voice, his brother, who had rounded to stand next to Alana at his other shoulder, face riddled with worry for the solely unraveling man. Nothing they were saying made sense to him, especially not as he stared back into the carbon copy of his mother, who’s eyes felt like they were boring holes into his skin.

He couldn’t bring himself to speak, nothing coming from his mouth when he forced it to open. He could feel himself trembling and the slow increase of the weakness in his legs, though as much as he wanted to go collapse onto the nearest arm chair or love seat, his feet were rooted to the floor, body frozen in place as the world seemed to blur around him.

He couldn’t hear anything that was being said to him, everything falling on deaf ears as the voices were muffled beyond belief, the little he could make out echoing in his mind as if they were yelling at him from the other side of a long tunnel. Breathing was becoming increasingly harder as he struggled for air, eyes squeezing shut so he didn’t have to stare at the spitting image of his deceased mother any longer. 

His mother - the one who saved him from states like this, where paranoia and panic clashed like soldiers on a battlefield in his mind, neither side claiming victory, always a stalemate that shook him to the core. 

His mother - the one who made sense of the raging emotions inside of his head, calming the storm and easing the tides, always lulling him into a state of calm.

His mother - the one who always smiled at him as if he was the most important person in the world, the sun and the moon in his sky, the light that he needed so desperately now, that he’d never see again, thanks to the cruel hands of death stealing her soul away. 

He could feel himself spiraling, but the flash of red in his view and the soft hands cupping his cheeks, the eyes of diamonds and pearls that looked at him so earnestly, the lips of cherry pie that spoke his name as if it was the most elegant thing helped pull his head above water long enough to shallowly gasp for air. Long enough for his hand to come above the crashing waves to grasp onto hers for her to tug him back to shore. 

“..ro? Tsuro? Tsuro.” The repetition of his name seemed to not be recognized by the dull look in his eyes that seemed almost glossed over, though with a furious string of desperate blinks, he seemed to return to himself enough to let his head fall onto her shoulder, an exhausted sigh escaping his mouth the moment another pair of arms wrapped around him.

“Tsuro, I’m s-” She could hardly speak before a glare was shot her way by the red head, who let her hands begin to run through his hair. “Leave him be. You’ve done enough, Hiroshi.” With that said, her hand dropped to take his in her own, thumb gliding over the rough and calloused skin.

“You don’t even know what’s happening. This is not a situation you can be mad at, Stephanie.” The same level of malice was evident in Hiroshi’s tone as it was in Stephanie, the two sharing glares of hatred, the emotional intensity far superseding the present situation.

“And what if I don’t? Look at him!” She cried out, gesturing to the man who was staring with blank eyes at some point on the floor, still being clung onto by Alana for dear life. “Look at what you’ve done to him.” There was direct emphasis on the ‘you’, the words hissed out to strike a point, though it seemed it hurt Reiko more than Hiroshi, who bowed her head in shame. 

“I’m.. sorry, I simply do not understand what I did to frighten him so.” She sounded truly remorseful, her bangs obscuring her face and tangling in with her lashes, lengthy and curled delicately with a thin coat of mascara. “I apologize, truly, it seems my presence has hurt more than just him.” Her eyes moved to look at Ryouto, who was trying to coax Alana away from a crumbling Tsuro, who had refused to look at her the entire time he was in the room.

There was nothing said in response by Stephanie as she turned on her heel, quietly coaxing him to follow her, hoping to get him out of this situation. A hand went to the small of his back to give him stability, the other gripping onto a small lump in her skirt that obscured her knife from view, a dark expression on her face as the two neared the hallway. 

“Hiroshi.” Her voice cut through the silence like a knife, everyone left in the living room whipping their heads around with fervor, though she dared not to turn and look at any of them. “This is what happens when you don’t listen to me.” That caused the woman in question to stiffen, taking a step forward to dare and protest, but a hand was raised to wave her off before she could even dare to open her mouth.

“Leave him be. For his sake.” With that, the two left down the hallway, the only sound being of the gentle opening and closing of a door, and the soft sound of murmuring voices muffled by the walls. 

“I should go, should I not? I seem to have done enough damage as is.” Reiko was the one to break the silence, standing up from the seat she was lounged in, smoothing down the fabric of her skirt that had become slightly disheveled.

“N-No! Wait-” Out of any of the three to vocally protest, it was surprisingly Alana, who was visibly trembling as she peered out from around her taller and stockier companion. “Please… P.. Please don’t g-go!” Her voice was hardly above a whisper, sharing the same tremor as the hands that gripped onto the fabric of Ryouto’s hoodie, eyes desperate and pleading. 

“Hm?” The hum was like music to her ears, the girl having looked slightly over her shoulders to stare back at the sight, head tilted inquisitively. “And why not?” What was truly an innocent question was perceived as the final nail in her coffin, Alana unable to reply, but thankful that a different voice spoke the words she meant to.

“What she means, is that we need you to stay a while longer.” Ryouto had been the one to fill in, an arm around Alana, securing her to his side. “There’s really no good way to explain this, but please, sit. There’s something we need to tell you.” 

Despite how much it was avoided before, the eye contact between the two younger siblings was maintained, hazel searching blue for answers before she turned to sit down, ankles crossing over each other and hands moving to rest in her lap, poised as if she was a prized doll in a collection.

“Do tell.” With the verbal signal given for the two to go on, Ryouto squeezed Alana’s shoulder to silently ask for permission to explain it for her. When she nodded her head, he shot her a small smile and one of his own to hopefully reassure her that he wouldn’t royally fuck this up.

“Have you ever heard of soulmates?” When the question only got a series of blinks, it was clear his younger sister was completely oblivious of the concept, and he was doomed to explain soulmates. 

“Soulmates are-”

“I’ll take over from here, Ryou. Thank you.” Hiroshi cut him off with a wave of her hand, sitting on the arm of the chair Reiko was in. “Your soul is special, Rei. It’s been with you through lifetimes even as your physical body changes. Each soul has its mate, a perfect match that fills in the qualities that your soul lacks.” She explained gently, looking over at Alana as she neared the end of her brief explanation.

“There are some of us blessed with a gift to see the web that fate has weaved.” That analogy got Reiko to look up at Hiroshi, prompting her to continue. “Hold up your right hand. Is there anything on your pinkie?” Hiroshi leaned in a bit to touch Reiko’s pinkie finger, though the girl only blinked, unsure of what she was looking for. 

“I.. do not understand.” She sounded hesitant and confused, craning her neck slightly to stare around the finger, searching for answers that never seemed to come to her. It made her older sister chuckle, giving her hair a reassuring ruffle. “Seems you didn’t get it either. That makes us two for two.” Ryouto spoke up, and by the confused looks sent his way, it was clear he had to specify.

“Uh, sorry- Tsuro can’t see them either.” A hand went up to scratch his cheek, expression reflecting the awkwardness present in his voice.

“But.. Why is this relevant? Have I missed something?” Reiko inquired curiously, still staring at her outstretched hand, hoping she could see exactly what the other two were able to see. “Oh, I’m getting to that! Just needed to explain that first.” Hiroshi couldn’t help but laugh a bit, a hand moving up to prop her chin up, elbow resting on her knee. 

“You’ve met your soulmate, dearie.” 

\--

“And get this, Alana couldn’t even look at her the whole time!” He had cut off his explanation with a small fit of laughter stifled by the back of his hand, his cellphone propped up on his chest as he clicked away at the different buttons on his xbox controller, only half paying attention to his match of TitanFall. 

“I’m gonna be real, you lost me at the sister looking like your-” The voice on the other end of the call paused, trying to remember all of the genuinely overwhelming details that had been crammed into the hardly 15 minute FaceTime call. “My mom. Yeah, crazy, right?” Ryouto finished it for him, maneuvering his character through the map with the flick of a joystick.

“Isn’t she.. Dead?” The question definitely sounded weird once it came out, but it didn’t seem like it phased him at all. “Yeah. Fucked with Tsuro pretty bad. I kid you not, I didn’t even make the connection until he kept sayin’ her name, Sato.”

“Uhh- shit, dude, tell me more about Alana and your new sister. Or- I guess, not new? I don’t know.” It was clear everything wasn’t making much sense, though between the information overload and Ryouto’s genuinely terrible explanation skills, it was unsure which was more of the culprit of Satoru’s genuine confusion.

“Oh, yeah! When we told Reiko, her first question was if she was supposed to kiss Alana. You should’ve seen her face.” There was some shared laughter between both of them, Ryouto glancing down at his phone to stare almost longingly at the barely visible tuft of red hair in the corner. 

“Don’t tell her I told you this, but-”

“Don’t tell me what?” Came from the door that was creaked open, Alana popping in with a fully stuffed and heavily doctored bowl of popcorn, a piece launched at Ryouto’s head. He managed to catch it in his mouth as she crawled up on the bed, popping her head into view.

“Oh, hi Satoru!” She waved her hand, slinging an arm around Ryouto’s shoulder as she leaned in, a toothy grin being flashed to the camera. “Did you get your girl?” The question was asked instead of returning a hello, her face falling and Ryouto busting out into yet another fit of laughter. 

“Oh, about that, our plans for tomorrow are changing. We’ve got to chaperone her date.” Though he was laughing, Satoru very much so was not, popping his head into frame to show his look of genuine confusion and mild disapproval. “Chaperoning.. A date? Bruh.” With that, his head was moved back out of frame, Ryouto snickering as Alana let out a whine. 

“I’m too scared to go on my own! Besides, you two are hanging out already, and it’d just be easier for us to tag along.” Alana tried to defend herself, though the justification seemed to only dig her further into a whole, now having both boys snickering at her. “Stooop!” She hid her rapidly reddening face in Ryouto’s shoulder, the whine muffled by the fabric.

“It’s payback for crashing our plans. Again.” Satoru emphasized the ‘again’, Ryouto only nodding to back him up. “But we’ll, uh, ‘chaperone’, I guess. We still going to the beach?” 

“Nah, don’t want pasty over here to burn on her first date.” He was cut off by a ‘Hey!’ and a shove that only made the three all explode into laughter, one that took significantly longer to calm down than before. “Is the mall okay with you, Sato? I’m thinking the one on 15th street.”

“Oh shit, you mean the one with the boba place in the food court?” His head popped back into frame, face riddled with excitement, enough so that Ryouto dared to swoon a little at the expression. “Fuck yeah, do I mean the one with the boba. Why would I bring us anywhere else?” 

“Shit, I’m down.” That got a cheer from both Ryouto and Alana, one being relieved to be avoiding the beach, and the other just excited to sip on a large cup of boba. “Still picking me up at noon?” The question was asked just to reaffirm if every aspect of their plans were changing, visible relief on his face at the nod he got in response.

“Yeah, if I don’t get smothered in my sleep.” His statement was riddled with laughter, though he questioned if it was even a laughing matter with how much he’d teased Alana since Reiko had left for the day. It would be a miracle if he woke up in the morning, though the sole thing likely keeping him alive was Alana’s need for him to be there to ground her.

“Good luck with that, Ryo. Good night.” There was a chuckle behind his tone again followed by the clicking of fingers on his keyboard, ones that had already been present throughout the conversation. “G’night, Sato. L-” Before he could continue his sentence, he panicked, tapping the hang up button as he realized exactly what was about to come out of his mouth.

“Oh my god, did you almost just say ‘love you’?” Alana was looking at him like a deer in headlights, eyes wide and mouth agape, her gaze darting around throughout his paling face for answers. He gulped, staring at the contact on his phone screen, more specifically at the contact photo of the two of him that he adored so greatly. 

“Holy shit.. I almost did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reilana supremacy babey!! Next episode is the last fun one until shit finally hits the fan (: Enjoy it while it lasts~
> 
> Socials if you'd like to interact-  
> Twt: @dollietingz  
> Insta: @softer.thana.daisy
> 
> Spotify Playlists-  
> Main: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6gymjrIaFjDrWTdfAs1FZh?si=3oZIOy7MTSGXGmuuJnAWbw  
> Ryouto’s: https://open.spotify.com/track/1syWM2X9Joy2MdRznIaTil?si=f7uIk9xVTZu4zVoFcP6laA  
> Ryouto & Alana's Car Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4suMEIU0UhMuT2FyoR48Ir?si=DbT4y2uNSpWrrieF6iVy1Q  
> Car Playlist 2.0: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5MbzVE7iIYx2sGXXYiPJZW?si=Z8Hw01h9QUWtYnteLde5MQ


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